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The Cisco Kid: American Hero, Hispanic Roots

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Bilingual Press/Editorial Biling-Ue Publishing presents - "THE CISCO KID - AMERICAN HERO, HISPANIC ROOTS" -- In this new book co-authors Francis M. Nevins and Gary D. Keller trail the history of the character, from his initial creation outside the Hispanic world to his Hollywood interpretation as a Latino persona, Arizona State University' s Bilingual Press --- The Cisco Kid is a film, radio, television and comic book series based on the fictional Western character created by O. Henry in his short story "The Caballero's Way", published in 1907 in the collection "Heart of the West" --- Films and television depicted the Cisco Kid as a heroic Mexican caballero, although in O. Henry's original story, he was a non-Hispanic character and a cruel outlaw.

Numerous films featured the character, beginning in the silent film era with William R. Dunn portraying the Cisco Kid in "The Caballero's Way" (1914), followed by "The Border Terror" (1919) --- Warner Baxter won an Oscar for his portrayal of the Cisco Kid in the early sound film "In Old Arizona" (1928), directed by Irving Cummings and Raoul Walsh, who was originally slated to play the lead until a jackrabbit jumping through a windshield cost him an eye while on location.

The Cisco Kid film series with Cesar Romero in the title role began with "The Cisco Kid and the Lady" (1939), and Duncan Renaldo took over the reins in 1945 on the big screen with "The Cisco Kid Returns" --- Beginning with "The Gay Cavalier" (1946), Gilbert Roland played the character in a half-dozen 1946-1947 movies.

In 1945 Duncan Renaldo began the Cisco Kid film series and transferred the character successfully to the small screen of television in the early 1950s, with Leo Carrillo as faithful sidekick Pancho --- Renaldo made the character clean-shaven and more of a do-gooder than the roguish bandit who actually was in the books --- As the Cisco Kid he rode on a black & white Overo named Diablo. Sidekick Pancho got along on a palomino named Loco. The horses' names came out of the radio series --- Renaldo retired soon after the series' demise and died years later at Goleta Valley Community Hospital in California of lung cancer in 1980.

The Cisco Kid: American Hero, Hispanic Roots expands on Francis Nevins's 1998 book, The Films of The Cisco Kid --- Retaining the originals thorough, chronologically ordered study of the filming Cisco Kid cycle and its in-depth analysis of the Cisco phenomenon, The Cisco Kid adds a Hispanic sensibility to the history of the character in United States film --- Despite the Cisco Kid's initial creation outside the Hispanic world by such mainstream writers and filmmakers as O. Henry and Webster Cullison, by 1929 with the first Cisco sound film, "In Old Arizona", the character was endowed with a Latino persona that it has retained in Hispanic as well as mainstream American culture --- "This notion is continually exemplified through the Cisco Kid films and more recently with the movie 'The Cisco Kid,' made in 1994 by Luis Valdez, featuring Jimmy Smits and Cheech Marin and made the Cisco Kid into a proto-Chicano," advises Keller.

Nevins and Keller comment that mainstream American culture and the Hispanic community made the character into a cultural phenomenon, producing a new persona, what Keller, director of the Hispanic Research Center at ASU, refers to as a "noble bandit," a robber and outlaw elevated to the status of avenger and champion of social justice --- His colleague Mike Nevins is a professor at St. Louis University School of Law --- Well written including film stills, lobby cards, and posters, this lavishly illustrated coffee-table book is sure to delight all Cisco Kid fans and collectors.

SPECIAL FEATURE OF ACTORS WHO PLAYED THE CISCO KID:
BIOS:
1. Warner Baxter
Date of Birth: 29 March 1889 - Columbus, Ohio
Date of Death: 7 May 1951 - Beverly Hills, California

2. Cesar Romero
Date of Birth: 15 February 1907 - New York City, New York
Date of Death: 1 January 1994 - Santa Monica, California

3. Duncan Renaldo
Date of Birth: 23 April 1904 - Spain
Date of Death: 3 September 1980 - Goleta, California

4. Gilbert Roland
Date of Birth11 December 1905 - Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico
Date of Death: 15 May 1994 - Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California

5. Jimmy Smits
Date of Birth: 9 July 1955 - Brooklyn, New York
Date of Death: Still Living

Hats off and thanks to Francis M. Nevins and Gary D. Keller and the staff of Bilingual Press/Editorial Biling-Ue Publishing --- order your copy now from Amazon where there are plenty of copies available, stay tuned once again for top notch releases --- please stand up and take a bow --- Western Classics, all my heroes have been cowboys!

Total Pages: 262 Pages ~ Bilingual Press/Editorial Biling-Ue ~ (10/15/2008)

Among the cowboy heroes of American popular culture, the Cisco Kid and Zorro were the only Hispanic examples of the genre to star in novels, films, movie serials, comic books, and television series. The collaborative work of Francis M. Nevins (Professor Emeritus, St. Louis University School of Law) and Gary D. Keller (Regents' Professor, Arizona State University), "The Cisco Kid: American Hero, Hispanic Roots" provides readers with an historical overview and analytical insights into the development of fictional character first penned by O. Henry and went on to capture the popular imaginations as the embodiment of an Hispanic hero of the Old West set in a mainstream American culture. Profusely and beautifully illustrated throughout with film stills, lobby cards, poster, and television images, "The Cisco Kid" is a unique examination of this specific character within the context of iconic cowboy Hollywood heroism, other Hispanic characters, and the actors who played them so well. Also available in a hardcover edition, "The Cisco Kid" is highly recommended for academic and community library collections, and will prove an informed and informative read for anyone who has ever thrilled to the adventures of the Cisco Kid and his faithful companion Pancho!